RMWEA BIOSOLIDS COMMITTEE UPDATE AND REQUEST TO ENDORSE UPCOMING BILL AND AMENDMENT FOR STATE RATHER THAN FEDERAL REGULATORY CONTROL

 BY DAVE OERKE

 Biosolids Recycling is Safe.

Biosolids Recycling is Good for the Environment.

Biosolids Recycling is Good for the Economy.

In the fall of 1989, five gentlemen sat in a restaurant near Stapleton Airport discussing how it would be nice to have the professionals involved in biosolids industry network together.  From that lunch, the RMWEA biosolids committee was founded.  Over the years the faces have changed; however, our mission has not.  It is to provide technical information and assistance for member agencies in the development, implementation, and promotion of safe and beneficial uses of biosolids. Our three themes are: 

·        Biosolids Recycling is Safe

·        Biosolids Recycling is Good for the Environment.

·        Biosolids Recycling is Good for the Economy.

The committee has always had a balance of municipalities, consultants, contractors, federal, state, and county regulators.  This equilibrium has assisted us in completing tasks and having all voices heard.  As one of the founding members of this committee, I believe we have been one of the busiest and productive within RMWEA. 

In the early 90s, the committee worked with EPA and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in educating biosolids producers for compliance with the “new” 503 regulations. 

We followed this with a set of well-researched “White Papers” to alleviate questions of gray areas of the 503’s, and aid the state regulator in the updating of the state biosolids regulations to conform to the federal regulations.

Lately, the committee and its members have assisted EPA in developing the NPDES biosolids general permit language that will be implemented in early 2002 in Region 8’s General Permit. Also, we are currently the state in a transitional period in preparation for the state to seek delegation for the biosolids program from EPA.

We have had several one-day biosolids conferences for our three-state RMWEA area.  In 1996, the committee sponsored the WEF National Residuals and Biosolids Specialty Conference in Denver with over 700 attendees. We will be hosting the same WEF National Residuals and Biosolids Conference again in 2007, and it will be cosponsored by both WEF and AWWA. 

Our outreach extends into presentations of papers and staffing a biosolids education outreach booth at such groups as the Young Farmers Association, Colorado Wheat Growers, Colorado Corn Growers, Colorado Farm Show in Greeley, Governor’s Agricultural Day, Colorado Counties, and the Colorado Environmental Health Association.  In May 2000, the committee sponsored the first county biosolids regulator roundtable discussion workshop.

Another program the biosolids committee has been working on for the utilities-produced recyclables industry is a biosolids operator certification course similar to treatment, distribution, and collection operators’ courses.  It is our point of view that the managers and operators of biosolids systems are more in the public eye away from the plant than at the facility.  This could create more public concern that affects all municipalities and appliers of biosolids. 

The first training class was held in Leadville, August 2001 at the wastewater operator school with 32 operator participants.  We will be presenting the course in March 2002 in conjunction with the short school in Boulder and in Leadville in August 2002.  It is our long-term goal to become part of the treatment operator certification program, with two levels of biosolids operators equal to the “C” and “A” level wastewater operators.

With twenty-plus active members on the biosolids committee, we will continue to do our part to represent the Rocky Mountain region regarding water and wastewater produced residuals. 

At this time we are seeking help from the wastewater professionals in Colorado to support a friendly amendment to a bill coming before the state legislature in early 2002.  The bill will be sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to increase NPDES permitting fees by 42% to maintain state services for liquid stream discharge permits. 

The friendly amendment is to be sponsored by the Wastewater Utilities Council to increase the state’s $2.40 per dry ton fee for biosolids produced within the state to $4.20 per dry ton.  This increase will fund the Health Department in their efforts to seek delegation of the biosolids program from EPA.  We believe that the solids stream at each wastewater treatment facility is not a by-product of cleaning up the water, it is the “other” effluent to be recycled back to the environment.  After the first of the year, please contact your state legislator and express your support of both the bill and amendment for regulatory control at the state rather than at the federal level.  Thank you for your support. 

Here is a statement from Dr. Albert Gray, Deputy Executive Director, Water Environment Federation (Alexandria, VA):

"The Water Environment Federation (WEF) appreciates the work done by the NAS panel to review the risk assessment methodology and scientific basis for EPA's Part 503 biosolids standards. We are pleased that this diverse committee of experts has confirmed what public health and water quality professionals already know: there is no documented scientific evidence that the Part 503 rule has failed to protect public health. We agree with the panel's call for continuing research and data-gathering to update these standards, consideration of new risk assessment methodologies, and for increased funding for EPA's biosolids program. Today we call on EPA to act promptly to implement these recommendations. Leadership by EPA at the federal level, together with greater support for state regulatory programs, will help to maintain public confidence in biosolids recycling as a safe and environmentally-friendly practice. WEF believes the public should be secure given the scientific data that already exists regarding the safety of land applied biosolids and fully expects this sense of security to increase with further studies, some of which are already in progress."

From an article published at IndyStar.com: 

"Spreading sludge on fields gets nod in Purdue study.  Organisms in soil not hurt by the waste, research shows; effect on humans unclear," by Tammy Webber, tammy.webber@indystar.com, March 9, 2003."Applying municipal sludge to farm fields -- a practice increasingly common in Indiana -- may be less toxic than some people once feared, Purdue researchers say.  A new study has found that sludge, called biosolids, from sewage treatment plants is not especially toxic to organisms in the soil. And although researchers are not positive there is no danger to people, they say the findings may help scientists better understand whether sludge is dangerous."   For more, http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/1/027739-1191-009.html